Obama pushes for gun control, local gun owners react

TOLEDO,
OH (Toledo News Now) – President Obama has set a deadline of no later than
January for concrete plans to be made for gun control in America.

After
the tragic shooting in Connecticut, some of the public is calling for gun
control. So President Obama is pushing for reform, and while not all gun owners
will be happy with it, some say it's a step in the right direction.

"The
fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing,"
Obama said. "The fact that we can't prevent every act of violence doesn't mean
we can't steadily reduce the violence."

Obama
has called for an assault rifles ban to be reinstated. The ban expired in 2004.
He also called for stricter background checks for potential gun owners, and a
limit on high-capacity clips.

Nicole
Raimonde owns a handgun for safety, and wants a shotgun for Christmas. She says
she sees a need for some regulations, but not all.

"You
need to have rational, reasonable checks for [purchasing guns], and I don't
have a problem with waiting to get a gun," Raimonde said. "I don't have a
problem with a background check. I have a problem with the bans…You can ban
them, but what does that do to solve the problem of the ones that are already
out there, that are legally owned by responsible individuals? How are you going
to get those off the street?"

Since
the shooting in Connecticut, gun sales have skyrocketed, which came as no
surprise to Certified Firearms Instructor Brian Doggendorf.

Doggendorf
also believes firearms bans are the wrong way to go, and says responsibility is
the answer.

"I
would love for every gun store to work with a certified instructor and go hand
in hand," Doggendorf said. "'Yeah, okay, you bought a gun, here's a class.' You
know, get into that, get the knowledge, skills, and attitude that you need to
be able to be a lawful gun owner."

Both
Raimonde and Doggendorf said they believe people will purchase more firearms
now, out of fear that they won't be able to after regulations are put in place
in January.

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